Review: Managing Mailing Lists

One of the most effective marketing tools for business is a newsletter or discussion list. But at best, managing a mailing list discussion or newsletter can be rather technical. Managing Mailing Lists wades in and tackles all the issues you face when running a list. Schwartz focuses on free Unix-based mailing lists -- Majordomo 1.94.4, Listproc 6.0c, SmartList 3.10, and LISTSERV Lite 1.8d (the latter free only for non-commercial purposes). The first chapter is a helpful introduction to e-mail itself. Ever wonder what the cryptic headers on the messages mean? Schwartz explains what is going on in understandable terms. This is important, he says, when you need to troubleshoot a bounced message or e-mail loop. The second chapter (available online at WebReview) discusses all the questions involved in setting up a list. He distinguishes between the list maintainer/owner (who can approve subscriptions, for example), the list moderator (who approves content in a moderated list), and the server and system administrators (responsible for the operation of the software and system hardware).

 Then he walks you through the decisions faced by every new list: how to name it, developing a purpose, posting guidelines, deciding whether contributions should be moderated or open, whether subscribers need to be approved or can subscribe freely, etc. The book includes an interesting "Life Cycle of a List" by Majordomo author Brent Chapman: (1) enthusiasm, (2) evangelism, (3) growth, (4) community, (5) discomfort with diversity, and (6) either stagnation or maturity, depending upon how the group handles newcomers and diversity. You'll also find helpful information on handling bounced messages, developing digests, creating archives, managing large lists, and choosing a mailing list manager (MLM) program.

Next, Schwartz covers in considerable detail everything a list maintainer/owner/moderator needs to know about how to managing a list, with a chapter specific for each of the four MLMs discussed. This provides a very useful reference handbook, with information on how to configure a list, what options are available, and the commands necessary to remotely control the operation of the MLM. A short chapter on troubleshooting lists follows. Schwartz offers tips on diagnosing and correcting the dreaded "mail loop" which causes list members to receive many copies of the same message. He also suggests how to prevent abuse of the list. The final four chapters, one for each of the four MLMs, contain technical information for server administrators on installation and set-up of the MLM programs themselves. The book concludes with four appendices providing a quick reference to all the important commands for each MLM.

Though I've set up and run a dozen e-mail newsletters and discussion lists since 1996, I learned a number of things. I just wish I'd had this book by my side. It would have saved a lot of head scratching. Neither this book, nor the Unix MLMs it documents, are for the faint of heart. They require diligence and work to maintain an effective list. But for those with pluck and tenacity, I highly recommend this book as a resource.

Read additional articles from Web Marketing Today, Issue 48, September 1, 1998